Sexual Minority Women and Discriminatory Health Care Experiences: An Intersectional Evaluation Across Race and Ethnicity.

OBJECTIVE: Health care discrimination contributes to medical mistrust among marginalized communities. Sexual minority women of color (SM-WOC) are marginalized because of the intersection of their sexual orientation, gender, and race/ethnicity and regularly report poor health care experiences at the intersection of these identities. However, research has yet to quantify differences in the prevalence of reported health care discrimination across SM women of various racial/ethnic backgrounds. As such, this study compared the rates of discriminatory treatment during the most recent medical appointment between SM-WOC (Black, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American) and White SM women. METHODS: We used nationally representative data from the Association of American Medical Colleges survey of health care services. Data were collected from 2010 to 2019 from N = 1,499 SM women (n = 458 SM-WOC). Binary logistic regressions compared frequencies of reported identity-based discrimination between each minoritized racial/ethnic group to White SM women. RESULTS: Across the sample, 33% of SM-WOC reported discrimination during their last medical appointment compared with 19% of White SM women. Discriminatory treatment was more common among every minoritized racial/ethnic group of SM women compared with White SM women, with variability in frequency of specific forms of identity-based discrimination across minoritized racial/ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although discriminatory treatment during the last medical appointment was common for all SM women, prevalence was higher for SM-WOC compared with White SM women. Findings have important implications for policy and practice to reduce health disparities, such as targeted interventions for SM-WOC and provider trainings in cultural humility, implicit bias, and common microaggressions.

Sexual Minority Women, Health Care Discrimination, and Poor Health Outcomes: A Mediation Model Through Delayed Care.

Purpose: Sexual minority (SM) women are a heterogeneous group who commonly report negative health care experiences at the intersection of their diverse sexual orientations and racial/ethnic identities. However, scarce research has evaluated how negative health care experiences may affect health outcomes among this population. Informed by the Health Equity Promotion Model for SM health, this study evaluated mediation models in which delayed care mediated the association between provider discrimination and poor health outcomes in SM women. Sexual orientation (plurisexual or monosexual) and race/ethnicity (women of color or White) were evaluated as moderators of the direct and indirect pathways. Methods: The sample included SM women (N = 1530) from the nationally representative Association of American Medical Colleges biannual Consumer Survey of Healthcare Access (2010-2020). Mediation models were conducted with lavaan structural equation modeling software. Results: Reported discrimination from a health care provider was associated with higher physical and emotional impairment, and these associations were partially mediated through delayed care. Sexual orientation and race/ethnicity also moderated several indirect and direct pathways. Conclusion: Results provide evidence of delayed care as a possible mediation pathway between provider discrimination and worse health in SM women and that the strength of these associations may vary by sexual orientation and race/ethnicity. Results indicate a need for policy change and clinical trainings to reduce the harm of provider discrimination on SM women.

Centering Asian American Women's Health: Prevalence of Health Care Discrimination and Associated Health Outcomes.

Asian American women routinely face multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination based on their marginalized social identities, including during their interactions within the US health care system. However, most research on discrimination against Asian American women is limited by its exclusive focus on race-, gender-, or language-based forms of discrimination; and research has yet to assess if their discriminatory health care experiences are associated with poor health outcomes. To address this gap, we centered the experiences of Asian American women (N = 905) from the Association of American Medical Colleges Biannual Consumer Survey of Health Care Access, a national survey of health care consumers conducted from 2011 to 2020. Prevalence rates were established for unfair treatment due to race, gender, culture, language, age, health insurance, and sexual orientation. Multiple regression models were used to assess how these discriminatory experiences were associated with health and functioning outcomes. Findings demonstrate a high prevalence (32.0%) and wide range of discriminatory experiences in health care settings among Asian American women. The majority of these discriminatory experiences were significantly associated with poorer health and functioning outcomes, even after controlling for demographic influences. Results highlight the need for further development of culturally sensitive medical practices and policies to improve the delivery of health care for Asian American women.

Patterns of Adverse Experiences and Health Outcomes Among Women Veterans.

INTRODUCTION: Adverse childhood experiences are associated with poor health outcomes in adulthood, such as depression, suicidal behavior, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Subsequent military service may continue trajectories of childhood adversity and contribute to cumulative disadvantage over the life span. This study examines distinct patterns of adversity from childhood through military service and their relationships with adult health and mental health outcomes. METHODS: The study used data from a nationally representative survey (conducted in 2012, analysis in 2016) with >6,000 women primary care users in the Veterans Health Administration, and linked to data from electronic medical records. Latent class analysis was used to derive qualitatively distinct patterns of adverse experiences and logistic regression to model odds of past-year health conditions, comparing effect sizes across classes. RESULTS: Prevalence of both childhood and military adverse events was high. Five meaningful classes of adversity were observed, characterized by low adversity across all events, high adversity across all events, extreme high adversity across all events, adverse family context, and a class characterized primarily by adverse military experiences. Odds of past-year diagnoses of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, and comorbid mental health and chronic health conditions significantly differed across classes. CONCLUSIONS: Among women Veterans Health Administration users, examination of qualitatively distinct patterns of adversity yielded more meaningful results than counting the number of adverse events. Given the high incidence of adverse experiences, Veterans Health Administration is positioned to respond with secondary prevention and a universal trauma precautions approach to all care for women Veterans.

Biological relatives:forgotten caregivers.

The needs of biological relatives can often be overlooked because caseworkers are charged to act in the best interest of the child, meet the demands of foster parents and assume large court and paperwork responsibilities. Using a case study approach of a private therapeutic foster care agency located in Washington, DC, this study examines the needs of biological parents from the perspective of both the biological parents (n = 14) and child welfare workers (n = 14). It also addresses both systemic and personal barriers associated with the engagement and involvement of the biological parent. Findings are that there are varying levels of involvement of the biological parent; however, there is often confusion surrounding engagement practices absent reunification as a goal. This is especially relevant for kinship care where the goal of reunification is sometimes obscured by the placement of children with their families. Policy and practice implications are discussed with an emphasis on increasing the focus on biological relatives in the kinship care network. doi:10.1300/J045v22n03_08.